Octopath Traveler Short Story Collection
by digitaldreams0801
Summary: Miscellaneous shorts about Octopath Traveler. General spoiler warning is in effect.
1. The Issue with Cliffs

_**First little short of this story! Each one of these shorts is different, so I'll have spoiler stuff in place before each one. This one has spoilers for Therion's chapter three. There's general hints of Therion x Alfyn as well, so you can take this as a ship. This one is just a short drabble, but you can expect more detailed shorts in the future. I hope you enjoy!**_

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Therion had to use all of the energy he seemed to have to keep from screaming.

Nightmares didn't come for him often, but when they did, Therion usually felt awful afterwards. It was the same dream that he had grown used to after all these years. Even if much time had passed since the incident with Darius, he still felt dreadful from time to time. Occasionally, he'd feel as if Darius' foot was still there, on his chest, exactly as it had been when he'd pushed Therion with murderous intent. It was disorienting, but Therion would survive.

Reliving that moment was never a joyful experience. He still remembered the feeling of weightlessness from when he'd been falling freely through the air near Bolderfall four years before. After six years of being Darius' partner, he'd been betrayed and kicked from a canyon. Luckily, he didn't end up dying, instead only slamming into the water at the bottom before resurfacing in nearby Flamesgrace. A sister of the church had nursed him back to health before he left to go on about his life.

While he hadn't died that day, Therion still hated going back on it. Anyone would. The one and only time that he had decided to trust someone, he'd been betrayed and sent over the edge. On top of that, he'd nearly been killed. It had been the worst day of his life easily. Seeing Darius back again with more lackeys to stab in the back only reopened the scars of the past.

Damn, Therion never wanted to see that man again.

Of course, that wasn't an option. He was holding the other two dragonstones he needed to return to Cordelia and Heathcote. Therion needed to get them back if he wanted to have any chance of getting the stupid bangle off his arm. Therion was going to cross paths with him sooner or later. It was just a matter of time.

Therion glanced around the inn room in silence. He was internally grateful that he hadn't woken anyone. He knew that H'aanit was quite the light sleeper. On top of that, the huntress naturally woke up each night to ease Primrose back to sleep after one of her nightmares. Thank Aeber that neither of them was up. Therion didn't want to have to explain the situation to them. He hadn't told anyone about the situation with Darius. Cyrus enjoyed pestering him about it, but Therion never gave in. He didn't want them to treat him any differently knowing about his past with Darius. Therion hated being pitied.

Therion eased himself back into his regular sleeping position beside Alfyn. The apothecary loved his sleep and rarely awoke before morning. Currently, Alfyn had one arm draped over the area where Therion had been while still asleep. He was snoring quietly. Therion picked up Alfyn's arm and put it over the apothecary's stomach. He closed his eyes not long after, hoping to drift into slumber.

Alfyn seemed to be half-awake when he pulled Therion in a little bit closer. This was regular at this point. Therion was used to Alfyn's occasional pickup lines from their time in the taverns of Orsterra by now too. Their relationship was certainly something, even if neither one of them seemed to be able to exactly pinpoint it. Primrose seemed to think the way they looked at one another was romantic, but Therion had no damn clue. He'd never been in a relationship.

Alfyn's lips graced Therion's neck, placing a kiss just above his shoulder. "Love ya," the apothecary whispered drowsily. His snoring started up again not long after. Therion could feel his face flushing, but he didn't say anything. Instead, he allowed his fingers to wrap around Alfyn's hand.

The situation with Darius wasn't going to be easy. That much was for sure. However, maybe Therion would be able to get out of it with the others by his side. Therion rarely admitted to trusting people, but the bonds he'd forged with the rest of the party were certainly genuine. He knew they wouldn't betray him. They'd be with him when he took on Darius, and he was glad.


	2. Midnight Knives

**_SPOILER WARNING FOR CYRUS' STORY C3 AND FORWARDS. MINOR SPOILERS FOR PRIMROSE C2 MENTIONED AS WELL._**

Olberic shot up immediately once his eyes opened.

He was breathing heavily as he glanced around the room. His mind was putting together where he was, managing to separate it from the dream he had awoken from. He was sitting in his bed at the inn of Stonegard. Cyrus was asleep beside him. Olberic halfway expected to see the others around the room in their regular sleeping arrangements, but they weren't there. Since all the larger rooms had been taken, they had split up into four small rooms. He was with Cyrus, who was still snoring quietly to his right. Olberic mentally thanked Brand that he hadn't woken the scholar.

Olberic had been forced from sleep by a nightmare. He often had dreams regarding the fall of Hornburg, but when he didn't, his nightmares were omens of things to come, often negative. Tonight had fallen into the latter category.

He stared at the window of the room, realizing it was still late at night, as he recalled his dream. Olberic had been asleep at the start of it, but when he regained consciousness, there had been the sight of blood. Cyrus' body had been on the ground, a knife lodged in his chest. It was enough to startle Olberic from slumber.

Now that he was awake, he knew he wasn't going to be getting back to bed anytime soon. If something really was going to happen to Cyrus, he couldn't sleep again anyways. Olberic would have to protect him should an assailant appear from the darkness.

Olberic thought for a moment about waking the others. Primrose and H'aanit were just across the hall with Linde. They'd be helpful in defending Cyrus from harm it it was necessary. Waking the scholar wouldn't hurt either. He was an incredible sage with enough experience in fire magic to fry anyone instantly. There was strength in numbers, which meant any attackers would stand no chance.

The warrior threw the covers off himself, ready to go get Primrose and H'aanit, but the knob turned before his feet were on the ground. Olberic grabbed his blade from beside the bed and clutched the handle tight. It was still in its sheath, so when he returned to the mattress for a moment to examine the situation, no sheets were ripped.

The silhouette of a young woman appeared in the doorway, but it was no one Olberic recognized. The figure was too tall to be Ophilia or Tressa for one. She lacked the lean frame of Primrose and the muscular one of H'aanit as well. Olberic frowned. Whoever this was, he had a bad feeling. This simply had to be linked to the vision he had seen of Cyrus.

The woman quietly shut the door behind her. She pulled something from a pouch on her belt. Olberic saw the flash of metal in the moonlight. It was undoubtedly a dagger, and if his suspicions were correct, it was meant to end the night covered in Cyrus' blood.

When the woman raised the knife up, Olberic acted swiftly. He grabbed her wrist and shoved it away from Cyrus. The knight got to his feet and freed his sword from its holder. He swung the sword so it would catch the blade of the dagger. The woman gasped in shock and stumbled backwards. Olberic saw a few strands of dark hair as a thought briefly crossed his mind. When they had been leaving Quarrycrest, he and Cyrus had spoken briefly. Cyrus had detected somebody was following him, possibly with murderous intent. They had resolved not to do anything yet, as they couldn't say how their stalker would react.

Now, Olberic was regretting not facing them before.

The woman let out a cry before swinging the dagger in his direction. Olberic stepped to the side and tried to make a slice at her, but she was fast enough to see it coming and duck. She tried to swing again, but she was cut off by a small grunt from behind Olberic.

"What is...?"

Cyrus had woken up from all the commotion. Olberic gasped and looked at the scholar over his shoulder. "Cyrus, you have to--"

Before he could finish the sentence, the woman was lunging past him. She tried to make a stab at Cyrus, but he saw it coming. He raised up one arm to block it. Instead of the knife going into his chest, it embedded itself in his arm. Cyrus let out a roar of pain, his free hand going to his arm. Blood was quickly flowing from the wound.

Olberic retaliated by seizing the woman by the arm. He threw her into the opposing wall, leaving her breathless. She couldn't fight back without the dagger, so Olberic had pretty much won. He sliced her arm with his blade before trying to make a grab for her throat.

Unfortunately, she was faster than she seemed. "This isn't over!" the woman barked. She retreated from the room as quickly as she could, slamming the door behind her.

Olberic made to chase after her, but he paused when he heard another small whine from Cyrus. He was shaking lightly from the pain of the knife. Thankfully, he hadn't removed it yet (as Alfyn had mentioned once while patching up Therion after their fight with Rufus that was a bad idea).

"Are you alright?" Olberic asked, crouching down beside him. He pulled back the sleeve of Cyrus' night shirt to get a better look at the wound. It was a deep one, so they'd have to find Alfyn and get his help to fix it.

"I have certainly been better," Cyrus said. It was clear he was biting back another cry of agony. "May I inquire as to what exactly happened?"

"That woman was here to kill you, it seems," Olberic frowned. He slowly helped Cyrus prop himself up against the wall, being careful not to aggravate the wound at all. "I'm afraid I don't know who she was though."

"It's quite alright," Cyrus assured him."Perhaps we should retrieve Alfyn. He'd undoubtedly be angry if we didn't get him to help."

"We should go together. I don't want to chance that woman coming back," Olberic told him.

The warrior picked up Cyrus and gently cradled him in his arms. Not for the first time, and most certainly not the last, he felt as if it was his duty to keep Cyrus safe. This entire journey had proven repeatedly that he tended to get himself into trouble, so it was up to Olberic to keep him from getting too badly hurt. While he hadn't entirely succeeded tonight, Olberic was just glad they were both still alive. Whoever that woman was, she seemed intent on taking Cyrus' life. Only time would be able to tell what her role in this was, but until then, they had other things to attend to, like patching up Cyrus' arm.

The scholar opened the door with his good hand when they drew near. Olberic carried him to the room being shared by Alfyn and Therion. The mystery regarding the dark-haired woman could wait. Now, their job was to fix Cyrus' arm before it could get too much worse.

Olberic looked down at Cyrus with a gentle smile, though since his eyes were closed, he didn't notice. Olberic was relieved beyond words he was okay. Nothing could describe how happy Olberic was that he had woken up. Now, he just hoped that no other cruel date befell Cyrus in the nights to come.

 ** _Me? Typing? Yep._**

 ** _I did this while waiting in line at a restaurant. This was all done on my phone so I'm probably going to wake up with a wicked cramp tomorrow. Oh well._**

 ** _Anyways, I hope you enjoyed! I had to indulge myself by writing for one of my (many) Octopath rare pairs. Between this, Tressa x Ophilia, and Primrose x H'aanit, I'll need to get to work if I want my need for content satisfied. I must thank the one and only Olberic x Cyrus AO3 story for getting me to ship this. It's a quality sword and sorcery relationship I can get behind (since I'm a real sucker for those sword and sorcery boyfriends thing, see Ike x Soren from FE9 and FE10)._**

 ** _I'm off to go sleep now. I'll be back again one day with another fic! It'll probably be some Primrose x H'aanit angst, but who can say._**

 ** _Also, if you're looking for more Octopath content, I made a confessions account on Instagram called octopathconfessions. I post anonymous confessions there so hot can go check it out if you want!_**

 ** _Until next time!_**

 ** _\- Digital_**


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